Basel

On Tuesday morning Matt and I said goodbye to Chris In Geneva. The time together passed quickly and suddenly he was flying back to Los Angeles. It was a teary goodbye after three weeks of a lot of fun, with stories to tell and great memories of Switzerland, Italy and France. We’re already talking about where to go on future trips to Europe, or Australia, or …. who knows where. It’ll be awhile before taking another trip but it’s fun to start planning.

From Geneva, Matt and I drove to Basel for a night on our way to Rothenberg ob der Tauber, Germany. Why Basel? It’s a beautiful city that I’d love to spend more time in, but to be honest the hotel was free – Marriott points. Points are covering a few of our nights. A couple of years spent mastering the art of collecting points equals free hotels, a free flight and the Garmin. The hotels don’t meet my usual selection criteria of old, family owned and interesting, but they’re working out fine. And at least one events the criteria. Hotel Eisenhut in Rothenberg ob der Tauber was built in the 1600’s and has been run by the same family for over 200 years, and was originally the private home of a wealthy citizen of Rothenberg. Surprisingly it was on the list of hotels available through Chase points.

We arrived in Basel late in the afternoon on Tuesday and decided to visit Augusta Raurica, an archaeological site and open air museum of a Roman settlement dating back to 15 BC. It’s the site of the oldest known Roman colony on the Rhine. Some of the areas are original remains and some areas are reconstructed. There’s an impressive amphitheater, sections of walls, part of an aqueduct and sewer.